Local designer a SA trendsetter
Well-known designer, Nico Willoughby-Smith, was invited to showcase his talent at the 23rd Annual Vukani Fashion Awards.
POLOKWANE -Along with this invite, he also had the opportunity to work with other well-known designers such as Gert Johan Coetzee and he will represent Limpopo at the Golden Scissor Awards.
Nico explains that this is the second time he has the opportunity to be a part of the Vukani Fashion Awards, his first being in 2005 while he was a student at the Design School of Southern Africa.
“As part of our syllabus we had to enter the 11th Annual Vukani Fashion Awards, also hosted by Sonwabile.
“We had to submit six designs according to the event’s theme as part of the requirements. That year the theme was 10 Years of Freedom and Democracy in South Africa.
“If we were chosen to showcase our work at the awards, we were expected to create a fashion range as well as represent our province,” he says.
Sonwabile was the original designer of the iconic Madiba Shirt and started the Vukani Fashion Awards with the aim of uplifting young up-and-coming designers.
“The year I first competed in the awards, Gert Johan Coetzee from North West was also a participant, both of us were third-year students at the time.
“He won the award and it launched his career as a designer and put his name on the South African designer map.”
He adds he is very excited about the upcoming awards and he is eager to showcase his creations. Nico decided to get the material needed for his designs from Enterprise Wholesalers as he is a long-time customer of the store and they have always supplied him with the best quality materials.
“My design illustrations have already been approved, the funds to create the collection have been deposited into my account.
“The entire collection needs to be sent to Sandton before next week Friday, so I cannot wait to get started on creating the outfits,” says an excited Nico.
maretha@nmgroup.co.za
